Zimbabwe Farmers

Sorry I don't have a transcript. The source URL is to today's show; the actual interview is at

I'm generally mistrustful of NPR's highly liberal agenda. But this vividly portrays the abomination that's taking place in Zimbabwe. The farm wife interviewed demolishes the Mugabe humbug about righting injustices with one sentence (there's plenty of unsettled land in the country, they don't have to rip off the farmers).

It's also a chilling revelation that these people aren't leaving the country at high speed, that they've bought a house about 50 clicks away and are even trying to move their farm equipment, apparently but delusionally hinking they're protected in some way by the local legal system. This could get ugly. I hope they get out while they can.

I heard the interview as I was driving home tonight. The woman, Avril, who declined to give her last name, talked about the 1,000 acre farm that she and her family had worked for the past 23 years. Some of their former workers have taken small plots on it and neighboring farms. They have produced little on those plots.

She talked about the numerous opportunities the government had to buy farms or distribute unsettled land. These opportunities had been squandered. She sounded very tired, not suprisingly. She was resigned, but not strident, dogmatic or the slightest bit racist.

She and her family are heading toward a small house 50 km away from the farm. They bought it as a "bolt hole" several yeaars back, never thinking they would actually have to live there. They have managed to salvage their household furnishings. She said they hope to bring out their farm equipment too, but they don't know what will happen when they try to do that.

They plan to take some time to think about options. She expressed hope that they might get the farm back or get some compensation for it. I found that the saddest part, because I think they will soon realize how futile that is.

It was a very sad piece, despite every effort of the NPR interviewer to steer it away from the suffering of the family and the stupidity of what the government was doing.

Where is our government, and where is the UN on one of the most egregious ethnic cleansings of this new century?

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.